Effects of sand fly vector saliva on development of cutaneous lesions and the immune response to Leishmania braziliensis in BALB/c mice

The saliva of the sand fly vector of leishmaniasis significantly enhanced infection with doses of >10(4) Leishmania braziliensis parasites in BALB/c mice. With a dose of 10(7) L. braziliensis parasites, 60 to 70% of the mice developed lifetime infections. Mice infected with L. braziliensis plus saliva produced two- to threefold more interleukin-4 than did mice infected with L. braziliensis alone. Treatment with a neutralizing anti-interleukin-4 antibody abrogated the effects of the saliva.